"That occurred to me about these [grime] guys - they do everything. The level of self-reliance, and autonomy is pretty mindblowing."

Russell went on to sign artists like Giggs, Novelist and Nines to XL Recordings - but the indie label's biggest star is undoubtedly Adele.

"I definitely always felt confident for her. And also I think I just got a general feeling of confidence from being around her," he said. "She is confidence-inspiring somehow."

Adele's achievements are "subtly political", he added, "just in succeeding as a female artist at that level [while] not fitting the mould of what a female artist was meant to be like.

"I think she kind of loosened that all up.

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Adele's music "means a huge amount to a huge number of people," says Russell

"I've spoken to artists who are quite different from her, musically, who felt more free to do what they wanted to do as female artists because she was doing what she wanted to do and not conforming to a certain look or type."

Russell admitted he'd never anticipated the level of her success - but "I did know she was going to get it right somehow."

He said with all of his artists - from Adele to MIA via Damon Albarn and Radiohead - "the important thing is to make something that means a lot".

The next question is "does it mean a lot to a small number of people, which is potentially fine, or does it mean a lot to a huge number of people?

"A typical hit song means a small amount to a huge number of people," he explained.

"So I think what [Adele] has achieved, of making music which means a huge amount to a huge number of people - that is probably the holy grail in music."